CombatAirThe sorry saga of the NHIndustries MRH90 battlefield utility helicopter in Australian military service is seemingly coming to an abrupt end. The helicopter, known to the Australian Army as the Taipan, after a deadly venomous snake, has proven to be impossible to operate effectively and the government has instead decided to look at replacing it with the UH-60M Black Hawk. Ironically, it...
Australian Attack Helicopters Come To The Rescue Of Castaways On Deserted Pacific Island – The War Zone
The Airbus Helicopters ARH Tiger might not have gotten much love from the Australian Army of late, but the attack helicopter was a very welcome sight at the weekend for a group of sailors marooned on a tiny Micronesian island for nearly three days. In a scene worthy of Hollywood, an SOS message spelled out on the beach was sighted by both Australian and U.S. aircrews, before a helicopter flying...
RAN to bolster Seahawk helicopter fleet – Defence Connect
Get notifications in real-time for staying up to date with content that matters to you.Australia’s $1.3 billion request to enhance its Sikorsky MH-60R combat helicopter fleet has been approved.Australia’s $1.3 billion request to enhance its Sikorsky MH-60R combat helicopter fleet has been approved.The US State Department has greenlit the Commonwealth government’s request to purchase an additional...
Analysing the timing of Defence's Taipan decision – Defence Connect
Get notifications in real-time for staying up to date with content that matters to you.Why has the Commonwealth government suddenly decided to retire the Taipan fleet after years of well-documented trouble? Why has the Commonwealth government suddenly decided to retire the Taipan fleet after years of well-documented trouble? Last week, the Commonwealth government confirmed plans to purchase up to...
Australia ditches MRH-90 in favor of U.S.-built Black Hawks – Vertical Magazine
Latest IssueArticles & Media Additional Links Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 5 seconds. Australia will ditch its European-built MRH-90 Taipan helicopters in favor of U.S.-built Black Hawks in a switcheroo mirroring the decision earlier this year to kill a deal with France and buy nuclear submarines from America. Australian Minister of Defence Peter Dutton made the announcement...
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Army launches separate command for aircraft – The Mandarin
The Australian Army has established a new Canberra-based Aviation Command responsible for its helicopters and unmanned aerial systems. Major general Stephen Jobson, who will lead the new command, said the move would lead to better coordination of new helicopters and enhance oversight of the safety, effectiveness and sustainability of current aircraft. “The changes to Army’s aviation...
Australia Will Retire Its MRH90 Taipan Helicopters 10 Years Ahead Of Plans – The Aviationist
In a surprising move, the Australian Defence Force has announced that it will retire its entire fleet of MRH90 Taipan helicopters a decade earlier than scheduled. The helos will be replaced by UH-60M Black Hawks and MH-60R Seahawks. This situation is somewhat curious, as the Taipan was supposed to replace the S-70A-9 Black Hawks that the country acquired in the 1980s and it will now be replaced...
Battlefield helicopter update – Australian Defence Magazine
Under a series of programs, the venerable Sikorsky S-70A-9 Black Hawk will finally be retired this year; the Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) will be replaced by the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian; four more Boeing CH-47F Chinook medium lift helicopters are being delivered; and a new capability, in the form of a light Special Operations support helicopter, will be added to Army’s...
Why has Defence grounded its MRH 90s? – Australian Defence Magazine
As a result, stories appeared across the spectrum of the media, with some outlets, quoting anonymous Army Aviators, alleging the helicopters are “no longer safe to fly” following “potentially catastrophic” maintenance issues.So, why has the fleet been grounded and why has it taken until now to ground them, when they have been flying in ADF service since 2007?Unfortunately, Defence could not, or...